The present invention provides a portable highway sign stand that is configured to yield toward the ground when struck with a sufficient force by a vehicle.
Highway safety signs are often displayed on portable sign stands in the vicinity of temporary highway conditions, such as construction activity or road damage, to notify drivers of the upcoming danger. Portable highway sign stands are typically designed to be lightweight, sturdy and collapsible so that they may be quickly set up or taken down, readily moved, and easily stored when not in use. The stands generally include a base supported on collapsible legs, a sign support member extending upward from the base for displaying a sign, and a sign mount coupled to the top of the sign support member.
When used on a road with fast-moving traffic, the stands may pose a danger to inattentive or out-of-control drivers, who may run over the stands. Thus, a number of safety mechanisms have been developed for the stands to protect these drivers from injury. Generally, known mechanisms function by providing a location at which the sign stand may flex or pivot in response to the application of a force. The most common mechanisms involve the use of a flexible member or pivotal joint disposed at some point between the base and the sign mount. For example, in one common mechanism, the sign support member includes a coil or leaf spring disposed between the base and the sign mount. When a vehicle strikes the stand, the spring bends along the direction of the force. Once the force is removed, the spring returns the stand to the upright position.
While these bending spring mechanisms help to protect drivers from injury, they also have some drawbacks. First, the stands tend to be more expensive, as the springs add to the cost of manufacturing the stands. Second, the springs may flex under other ordinary forces, such as wind from passing vehicles, etc. This may cause the springs to fatigue and require eventual replacement, even if a vehicle never strikes the stand. Third, many of these designs are configured to flex along only one direction. Thus, if a vehicle hits the sign traveling in a direction transverse to the direction of the spring mechanism flex, the sign stand may fail to flex and cause injury to the driver or damage to the vehicle.
One aspect of the present invention provides a portable highway sign stand comprising a base and a sign support. The sign support is coupled to and extends upwardly from the base for supporting a highway sign above the ground. The sign support includes a generally rigid, generally upright portion having a first breakaway section yieldable along a first direction when subjected to a sufficient load at least partially along the first direction, and a second breakaway section yieldable along a second direction when subjected to a sufficient load at least partially along the second direction.
Another aspect of the invention provides a portable highway sign stand comprising a base, a sign support coupled to the base, and a sign mount disposed on the sign support. The sign support includes a pair of opposing, spaced-apart members extending upwardly from the base, the opposing members having upper ends. The sign mount is disposed on the sign support adjacent the upper ends of the opposing members. The opposing members include a breakaway section within which the opposing members are spaced more closely together than outside the breakaway section such that the susceptibility of the opposing members to bending is increased within the breakaway section.
Yet another aspect of the present invention provides a portable highway sign stand comprising a base, a sign support coupled to the base, and a sign mount coupled to the sign support. The sign support includes at least one member extending upwardly from the base portion to support the sign mount above the base. The sign mount is coupled to the upwardly extending member with a breakaway coupler. The breakaway coupler includes at least one lateral extension extending at least partially around the sign mount. The lateral extension is displacable by the sign mount when a sufficient load is exerted against the sign mount, permitting the highway sign to yield toward the ground.